Recipe: Roasting Two Turkeys - Tips

Dear Janet,

I'm going to give you a little more than a 'yes or no' answer and much of what I'm about to say you probably already know, but I think this is a good opportunity to also pass along some helpful info to others that may be facing the same oven challenge.

Yes, you can roast 2 turkeys at once, but the thing you need to be careful of is that there is room for the heat to circulate around the oven (when roasting or baking anything in the oven). There needs to be 1 1/2 to 2 inches between the pans and the oven walls and some room between the pans themselves on the racks. The turkeys may take longer to roast depending on the efficiency of your oven and the oven will need to stay on longer to maintain the heat (you should test for doneness with a meat thermometer). The turkey should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F throughout the bird, checking the inner thigh, wing, thick part of the breast, and the center of the stuffing. Also, reverse and turn the pans a couple of times during cooking to keep the browning more even (the sides closest to the oven walls and door will brown faster).

If you have a roaster oven, that would be a good option for roasting one of the turkeys (of course, you probably wouldn't be asking this if you did!) Another option is to roast one of the turkeys a day ahead, carve it, place it in shallow baking pans (13x9x2-inch), and refrigerate. (Don't refrigerate the whole roasted turkey with or without stuffing inside it. Also, it is not safe to partially roast a whole turkey, refrigerate it whole, then finish roasting it later.) If you roast one turkey earlier in the day, you'll still need to slice it and refrigerate it because it wouldn't be safe to hold it for longer than two hours without refrigeration.

Save the pan drippings. You can also make a turkey broth the day before with the giblets and extra pieces from each turkey and you can even make the turkey gravy ahead.

On the celebration day serve the whole roast turkey at the table. Add some of the turkey broth to the pans of sliced turkey and cover with foil. Place in the oven to heat as soon as the whole turkey is removed from the oven. If you need some of it faster than it reheats in the oven you can use the microwave. Place a few of the slices a dish with sides (so you can cover it with plastic wrap without touching the meat), add a little broth or gravy, and vent the cover on one corner. Watch closely and turn the pieces as needed. Don't microwave too long or the texture may change.

Here are a couple of tips for make ahead turkey that Manyhats and Ellen in Missouri shared:

Turkey-a Day Ahead
MSG ID: 0058106

Reheating Roast Turkey
MSG ID: 0058136

I hope that's a help. Maybe others will have tips too.

Happy Holiday Cooking!

Betsy